Fighting Spirit (2000)

S01E36 The Champ and I

Ippo finally encounters Eiji Date, the reigning champion of his weight class, who has come to provide commentary for the evening's bouts. It turns out that Date shares a long-standing friendship with Takamura. During the matches, Aoki and Kimura secure hard-fought victories, both achieving fifth place in their respective categories, while Takamura dominates his opponent once again. Ippo, on the other hand, finds himself ranked tenth in his class. After a few days of recovery for his injured right fist, Ippo eagerly receives an invitation for a sparring session with Eiji himself.